Mom and I get a lot of alerts in our email regarding animals and animal welfare. This one broke mom's heart and she wanted to share it with you so that you too might sign the petition to urge a ban on the use of Compound 1080 to kill wolves. Read how this wolf who was being tracked died. Read about her finally moments. Then tell me if that doesn't sound like a horrible case of animal cruelty. Does anyone deserve to die like that? Tell them to not use Compound 1080, something that has been categorized as a chemical weapon in many countries.

She had traveled to four states and logged more than 1,000 miles from her home in Montana.

But a female wolf from the Mill Creek pack (known as 314F), met a horrific fate in Colorado -- illegally poisoned by the deadly Compound 1080.

314F's last moments must have been excruciating. Plagued with convulsions, dizziness and unbearable pain, her incredible journey ended in a terrible death on a lonely Colorado road.

But sadly, she is not alone. Because it is one of the most lethal toxins known to humankind, Compound 1080 was once completely banned. Illicit stockpiles still remain -- and it has been used to illegally kill wolves.

Compound 1080 -- so dangerous, it is classified as a chemical weapon in several countries -- is now legally used by the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services to kill coyotes in nine states.

Compound 1080 and other deadly toxins -- approved by EPA and used by Wildlife Services -- don't always reach their intended victims. Sodium cyanide -- another highly toxic poison -- kills hundreds of non-target animals each year. Protected wolves, rare swift foxes and even hundreds of pet dogs have been killed by baited traps that are left unattended.

EPA is currently deciding whether to continue to allow the use of Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide by Wildlife Services to kill native wildlife. And we need your help to ban these deadly chemicals.

Wildlife Services continues to rely on poisons -- a heavy-handed approach to dealing with predation of livestock -- despite the fact that only a small percentage of sheep and cattle are killed by wild predators each year.

Non-lethal alternatives like improved fencing, guard animals, range riders and other methods can safely and effectively keep predators away from domestic animals -- without the use of deadly poisons.

About the author:
I'm a blogger - http://the247mom.com who just started a blog in my Junie's voice to help get the word out about the horrors of mills and hoarding situations. :( http://theyallneedsaved.blogspot.com/
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